Yes wild fish are a tiny bit harder to care for because you have to know more about the absolute requirements to keep them healthy. But they are just as much fun and do just as well or perhaps better than the cookie cutter types once you master the basic skills of caring for them. In a lot of ways they are much stronger then the hybrids. I have often been told how hard it is to get them to eat...Don't believe it, discus even wild ones can be trained to eat almost any kind of food that you would normally feed to your other fish. After many years keeping all kinds of discus, I know the best rule to follow is 'KISS' ( Keep It Simple Stupid ) It's not hard or complex!